BEST NURSERY (2007)

We love a hometown success story, and that's what Baker's is. Jim Baker started the nursery almost four decades ago, and he's still poking around in the soil, though three of his six daughters assumed day-to-day duties from their octogenarian dad last year. Though it's a bit pricier than, say, Home Depot or Wal-Mart, Baker has something the megastores don't have  a big heart and a ton of knowledge. An expert gardener and longtime employee named Julie Moody will be happy to walk ya through the myriad selections, which include desert plants, succulents, and cacti galore. We favor the flowering wisteria, big Johnny (yup, that's the official name) and the giant fuyu persimmon (can't go wrong), and a bunch of pretty little things with Latin names we can't pronounce but promise to water.